Gilles Apap’s “Friends” CD — Studio footage

Those who know Gilles Apap are aware that he’s quite a prolific fiddler, prolific in the numbers of fiddle/violin styles he performs in, prolific in his numerous CD releases, and prolific in his friends with whom he makes music.

His latest CD release, simply titled “Friends” , is a tribute to his many musical associates from the areas of American folk, old time, Cajun, and bluegrass music. Gilles spent several months of 2007 travelling around the country to record tracks with a wide variety of musicians, compiled here in a collection of 21 tracks (plus an additional dozen or so recorded right off his phone answering machine!). Visit his website at: http://gillesapap.com/ for a more detailed look, and perhaps purchase a copy.

Session for Gilles Apap's "Friends" CD - "Jerusalem Ridge"

Click on the image above [ or click here ] for a look and a listen to one of our tunes, Bill Monroe’s Jerusalem Ridge, recorded last summer at Drew Daniel’s Sound Path studio in Van Nuys, California. Note that Gilles, like myself, prefers to record “live” rather than the multi-layered approach used so often in recording circles these days. The six of us sat in a circle, and played until we agreed on a “take”. The microphones, other equipment, and software used in this session are listed at the end of the video clip. To make this session even more fun and relaxed, Drew just let the recorder run during the entire time of the session — so we started, stopped, etc., just when we felt like it. Please note also the “&fmt=18” at the end of the video’s URL: this enables replay in high quality stereo format (assuming, of course, that the video was recorded that way in the first place!).

-Peter

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About Peter Feldmann

Peter Feldmann has long been a musical mainstay in Santa Barbara and Southern California. Besides actively performing bluegrass and old time music with a variety of groups, Peter is also known as a bluegrass historian, collector, music consultant, teacher, and producer, both of live concerts and radio/tv programs throughout the area. His music has been heard in clubs, concerts, saloons, universities, pre-schools, at weddings, wakes, parties, barn-raisings, calf-ropings, rodeos, auctions, fund raisers, wine tastings and chili cook offs.

Peter founded Santa Barbara’s Old Time Fiddler’s Convention (1972), UCSB’s Old Time Music Front (1964), and The Bluebird Cafe (1971). Through these and other outlets, he was the first to bring many prominent folk, blues, and bluegrass artists, including Bill Monroe, Mance Lipscomb, The Stanley Brothers, The New Lost City Ramblers, Fred McDowell, Furry Lewis, Rose Maddox, the Balfa Brothers, and many others to the Santa Barbara area. Peter also helped others access the music by teaching privately, and in group classes for Santa Barbara Continuing Education, UCSB Extension, and McCabes Guitars. He was the first on the West Coast to produce and market instruction Lps – three on How To Play Country Fiddle, and one each on Clawhammer Banjo, and Maybelle Carter Style Guitar. He still presents lectures on country music history at UCSB, Santa Barbara area libraries, and for various interest groups, festival workshops, etc. In 2006, he presented his monograph titled “The Big bang Of Bluegrass Music” (describing the origins of bluegrass 1938 – 1946) to the worlds first International Music Symposium at the University of Kentucky at Bowling Green. He has also been very active in radio, television, and film work, producing weekly shows on country and bluegrass music over a 21 year period on various commercial and public stations. Peter currently maintains three music-related websites, a music blog, and an entertainment service company, “BlueGrass West!”, based in the Santa Ynez Valley in Southern California.

Peter performs tunes and songs from the heart of America’s musical treasure chest. His shows can include fiddle, guitar, banjo, and mandolin. Well-known as a historian and teacher, Peter is first and foremost an entertainer, sharing his respect, energy and love for the music with his fellow musicians, friends, and audiences.